How much is my Mint Stamp Worth?


Mint Stamp is referred to, in philately, as a postage stamp which is unused, unmounted with a full gum (if issued with a gum). James Mackay, a professional philatelist and novelist, defined a mint stamp as being in its original state. In practice, many collectors refer to mint stamp as any stamp which has not been in use and therefore has never been cancelled, even it is has been mounted or does not have a full gum.
The term mint applies both to postage stamps and revenue stamps. Postage stamps are strictly for postage usage and revenue or tax stamps are stamped on tax collection documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, hunting licenses and different legal documents.
Hinges are small strips of gummed paper used to mount postage stamps in albums. Stamps which have not had hinges applied to them are classed as "unmounted." Stamps which have been mounted are referred to as mint stamp which have been hinged. A stamp can also be in a mint condition despite its condition as long as it was not in use.
There several common variations of the term Mint to describe the condition of the stamp:
Mint hinged (MH) - the stamp is unused but has been previously hinged. Remains of the hinge or gum disturbance are visible.
Mounted mint (MM) - the same as Mint hinged.
Mint no gum (MNG) - the stamp appears to be unused but has no gum. It might have been used but not cancelled, or have been issued without gum.
Unmounted mint (UM) - the stamp is unused and has never been mounted.
Mint never hinged (MNH) - the same as unmounted mint but with an assertion that the stamp is not a formerly mounted stamp that has been tampered with to remove traces of mounting.
The value of a mint stamp is usually higher than a used stamp because of its rarity and as often it is in a better condition. As a result, some sellers try to forge cancellations. However, this is not a general rule as the value at the end of day depends on several factors such the stamp condition and its supply and demand. There are cases where used stamps are more valuable where a large number of specific mint stamps are available. Countries often print a high volume of mint stamps more than their actual postage needs for collectors, as it is a good source of income for the postal office.
In general, it is important to maintain your mint stamps in an excellent condition, to keep its value. Organizing your stamps in a stock book, a stamp album or in an individual glass mount is a must. There are many stamps price guides which can assist with evaluating your mint stamps collection. The more known ones are Michel, Scott, Stanley Gibbons, Yvert et Tellier. Some of these guides provide online services as well.
Use the value given as a guideline and it is advised to review several price guides to receive a more accurate value for your stamp. 
Collectors usually buy mint stamps through dealers, auction websites and at the postage office. If you wish to sell your mint stamps it is important to know that dealers will demand their commission. Thus, it may be more lucrative to try and sell your mint stamps directly to buyers online in an auction website for collectors.


About the Author:
One of the great sources to your mint stamps collecting activity is http://www.coollectors.com where you can buy, sell, exchange and catalog your mint stamps collection or simply review collections of other collectors. You can also become a member of the site growing community; connect with other similar collectors, exchange mint stamps and ideas.


A Swiss Mint Stamp 

Valuation of Autographs

An autograph usually refers to a person’s artistic signature in particularly the signature of a celebrity. The hobby of collecting autographs, also referred to as philography, can be a lot of fun and a source of lucrative profits too. In this article we will try to outline a few important factors in determining the value of an autograph.

The value of a certain autograph is as we always say at the end of day, the price which a specific buyer is willing to pay at a certain time.

However, there are a few key factors which can influence the value of an autograph such as its authenticity, condition, rarity and the identity of the signing figure.

In order to verify the autograph authenticity it is advised to check the credibility of the seller and if he belongs to one of the well-known organizations such as UACC, Manuscript Society, PADA, and IADA.

After you made sure that the seller is trustworthy, it is important to authenticate the autograph itself. Confirming the signature of the person and the circumstances of the signature’s acquisitions are the first steps.

In addition, autographs from serious sources usually come with certificates of authentications (COA) which are made to verify the authenticity of the signature.

When evaluating the COA it is important to make sure that it came from a notable company with a long tracking record.

The condition of the signature is also an important factor once determining its value. Tears, stains and other faults may decrease significantly the value of the autograph, while an autograph in a very good condition will be worth much more. However, the older and rarer the autograph may be, its value may increase. Thus, the combination of rarity and condition will be taken in consideration while determining its value. It is important to note that ink signatures usually receive higher prices than other methods of signatures such as pencil as they often fade quicker.

The identity of the person signing is also a very important factor in the evaluation process - how famous this person is, is he dead or alive and can this person produce more autographs. The object on which the signatures is placed can also influence the value - as interesting object with some historic importance or which lightens another side of the person signing could increase the value as well.

The following common terms are used by auction houses to describe the type of autographs which are placed for sale:

AD: Autograph Document (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed)

ADS: Autograph Document Signed (written and signed by same individual)

AL: Autograph Letter (hand-written by the person to be collected, but not signed)

ALS: Autograph Letter Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

AMs: Autograph Manuscript (hand-written; such as the draft of a play, research paper or music sheet)

AMsS: Autograph Manuscript Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

AMusQs: Autograph Musical Quotation Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

AN: Autograph Note (no salutation or closing, usually shorter than a letter)

ANS: Autograph Note Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual)

AQS: Autograph Quote Signed (hand-written and signed by same individual; poem verse, sentence, or bar-of-music)

DS: Document signed (printed, or while hand-written by another, is signed by individual sought to be collected)

LS: Letter Signed (hand-written by someone else, but signed by the individual sought to be collected, frequently handwritten by secretaries before the advent of the typewriter)

PS: Photograph Signed or Postcard Signed

SP: Signed Photograph

TLS: Typed Letter Signed

TNS: Typed Note Signed

Folio: A printer's sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves, double quarto size or larger.

Octavo(8vo): A manuscript page about six-by-nine inches. (Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper to form eight leaves.)

Quarto(4to): A manuscript page of about nine and one-half by twelve inches. (Originally determined by folding a printer's sheet of paper twice to form four leaves.)

About the Author:

One of the great sources to your autograph collecting activity is http://

www.coollectors.com where you can buy, sell, exchange and catalog your autographs

collection or simply review collections of other collectors. You can also become

a member of  the  sites growing collectors community, connect with other similar

collectors exchange autographs and ideas.

1991 Baltimore Orioles Team Autographed Baseball Brady Anderson Mike Flanagan Cal Ripken Jr & Sr.

Today's Collector Focus: Starting Your Own Coin Collection: 

Collecting coins is not only a fun hobby but it could also bring a great satisfaction once completing a certain desired series of coins. Coins usually reflect the events of the time in which they are produced, and thus collecting coins can be also interesting historic wise. However, without planning ahead your collecting agenda you might find yourself frustrated for not reaching your collecting goals at the desired pace. If you are still a bit lost or puzzled on how to start your own coin collection, we advise you to make a few decisions before starting your collection. 

First it is important to decide what will be the budget that you would be willing to spend on this hobby. The price of coins varies according to their condition and rarity and setting up a budget in advanced will make your collecting activity a more effective one. 

Based on the budget you set, you can choose to focus on a certain coin collecting field. For example some coin collectors decide to focus on collecting coins only from their own country. Other collectors choose to collect certain coins chronologically by their years of production. This method is useful as many of the coins catalog and books are organized according to their year of production. For example, you can choose to collect a Lincoln cent from the first year it was minted. As many of the coins have different mint marks, you can also broaden your collection by adding each coin with its specific mark. 

Other options are to collect coins series with a significant design, marks or any other unique features. For example, you can choose to collect coins with a unique alloy such as gold, silver and copper. 

There are also collectors which focus on collecting coins with a specific subject (eagles for example) or from a certain periods such as medieval coins. Others focus on collecting coins which were minted by a certain ruler or other historically significant bureaucrat. 

There are many additional specific fields in the coin collecting activity. Many collectors collect coin with a certain print value (such as coins with a 1 denomination value) while others decide to collect a large quantity of a certain coin which can also be a decorative piece such a vase full of pennies. 

In determining the valuation of a certain coin the condition of the coin can influence its value significantly. While evaluating the coin there are a few subjective factors that could be taken in consideration such as the following: The aesthetic interest of the coin, dents on the rim, unsightly scratches or other blemishes on the surface of the coin, the luster of the coin, the toning of the coin, the level of detail retained. Any damage to the coin can substantially reduce its value. 

There is a list of a common acknowledge terms to describe the condition of a coin: 

Mint State (MS), Uncirculated (UNC), About/Almost Uncirculated (AU), Extremely Fine (XF or EF), Very Fine (VF), Fine (F), Very Good (VG), Good (G), About Good (AG), Fair (FA, FR), Poor (PR, PO).

The success of your coin collection activity depends both on your financial capability as well as the level of your desire to pursue this kind of hobby. With any budget and energy that you might choose to invest in your coin collecting activity, we are sure that you will find it a great source of enjoyment and satisfaction.

One of the great sources to your coin collecting activity is http://www.coollectors.com where you can buy, sell, exchange and catalog your coin collection or simply review collections of other collectors. You can also become a member of the sites growing collectors community, connect with other similar collectors exchange coins and ideas. 

 

Today's Collectors Focus: How to evaluate Trading Cards  

Trading cards are small cardboards collected by collectors usually associated both with sports such as baseball, hockey and basketballs as well as fantasy and comics. In recent years, trading cards became also a popular method to promote various occasions and subjects such as TV shows, sports clubs and special events.  

Trading cards do not have a real monetary value and are worth as much as a certain buyer is willing to pay. Nevertheless, the value of a trading card could be influenced by several factors such as its condition and popularity. Occasionally some cards manufacturers limit the production of a certain card series to increase their value.  

When determining the condition of a certain trading card several indications are being inspected such as the centering of the card, the corners of the card, the edges of the card and the surface of the card.  Imperfections such as tears and blurred images could lower the value of the card significantly.

There are ten grades given to describe the condition of a card:

Pristine describes a perfect card without any imperfections or damage to the naked eye and upon close inspection.

Mint condition describes a card without any printing imperfections or damage to the naked eye and with very minor printing imperfections or damage upon close inspection and with clean gloss with one or two scratches.

Near Mint or Mint describes a card without any printing imperfections or damage to the naked eye, but with slight printing imperfections or damage upon close inspection and with solid gloss with very minor scratches.

Near Mint describes a card with Noticeable, but minor, imperfections or wear on the card and with solid gloss with very minor scratches.

Excellent Mint describes a card with noticeable, but minor, imperfections or wear on the card and mostly solid gloss with minor scratches.

Excellent describes a card with noticeable imperfections or moderate wear on the card nad with some gloss lost with minor scratches..

Very good/Excellent describes a card with noticeable imperfections with heavy gloss lost with very minor scuffing, and an extremely subtle tear.

Very good describes a card with heavy imperfections or heavy wear on the card and with almost no gloss and minor scuffing or very minor tear.

Good describe a card with severe imperfections or wear on the card with no gloss and oticeable scuffing or tear.

Poor describes a card with destructive imperfections or wear on the card with no gloss and heavy scuffing, severe tear or heavy creases.

A Babe Ruth Trading Card: 

Today's Collectors Focus: Valuation of Antiques:

An antique is a collectible item which is usually attractive to collectors because of its age, rarity, craftsmanship and any other unique features or a subjective appealing to a specific collector.

It is common to relate to a collectible as an antique with it being at least hundred years old. Thus, the US customs office considers as an antique any object which is older than hundred years old. This is also the common reference to an antique by the CINOA which is the largest antique dealers association representing five thousands dealers from more than twenty countries.

Referring to the valuation of antiques, it is often difficult to value antiques as they could be one of kind piece which cannot be comparable with any other item. More over, the only true value of an antique is the price which a specific buyer is willing to pay for the specific item at a certain time. However, some guidelines and tools can be summarized of how one could valuate a specific antique.

One tool which can assist with the value of an antique is if it is a genuine or a reproduction item and if it is accompanied by a certification of authentication. Nevertheless, the authentication of the certificates themselves should be determined as they can easily be forged. One example is of the son of Han van Meegeren, whom forged the work of his father and provided a certificate for its provenance as well.  

Another tool to valuate a specific item is to look for similar items and their recorded average selling price in online auctions sites and auction houses. Some books and price guides which can be found in book stores and local libraries can also give a good indication of the appropriate pricing based on similar items.

Another option is to assist with professional antiques appraisers whom can write a written appraisal to give an idea of what the item is worth. These services are also available today at online dedicated sites.

It should be noted that an antique dealer would expect to pay a wholesale price of an item which is approximately one half of what one could get by selling the item directly to a collector which can be a longer process but a lucrative one.

Reproduction of Auguste Rodin Bronze Statue:   

Enjoy Coollectors New Bulk Lister!

Do you have many items and want to list them simultaneously at Coollectors with a press of a button ?

Enjoy Coollectors New Bulk Lister tool, it's Easy and it's Free!

We are making great efforts to make your experience on Coollectors a friendly one.

This is why, we have developed the Coollectors Bulk Lister tool to help you list multi items at the same time. 

All you need to do, is to download the CSV file in the Bulk Lister page, fill it with your items' details and upload it using the upload button in the Bulk Lister page. Please note that you can upload pictures for your CSV file at Coollectors Picture Uploader.


We suggest that before you fill in the form and upload the file, review the "Add New Item" form on the site and review the Bulk Lister Help section to understand better the different fields in the form.  


Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at: support@coollectors.com

Collectors Today’s Focus: The Mughal Empire Coins

The Mughal period in India commenced in 1526 AD when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, the Sultan of Delhi and ended in 1857 AD when the British deposed and exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor after the great uprising. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids and at the height of their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled most of the Indian Subcontinent—extending from Bengal in the east to Balochistan in the west, Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri basin in the south. Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and 150 million, over a territory of more than 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million square miles).

The Mughal Coins

The Mughals brought about uniformity and consolidation of the system of coinage throughout the empire which was the most significant contribution to the monetary history of the subcontinent. The system lasted long even after the cessation of the Mughal rule in the region.

The system of tri-metalism (use of gold, silver and copper in coins) which characterizes the Mughal coinage was largely the creation of Sher Shah Suri (1540 to 1545 AD), an Afghan, who ruled for a brief time. Sher Shah issued a coin of silver which was termed the Rupiya. This had a weight of 178 grains and was the precursor of the modern rupee. It remained largely unchanged till the early twentieth century. Gold coins called the Mohur (weighing 169 grains) were issued along with the silver Rupiya and the copper coins, called the Dam. Numismatics of the Mughal era reflects originality and innovative skills in the designs and minting techniques of the coins. 

The coin designs gained maturity during the reign of Akbar (1542 to 1605). Innovations like ornamentation of the background of the die with floral scrollwork were introduced. Jehangir (1605 to1627) took a personal interest in his coinage. The surviving gigantic coins are amongst the largest issued in the world. 

The Mughal rule in India brought Muslim design to the coins of India. Since Islam forbade the use of people and animals in artwork, most of the coins of the Mughal Dynasty were decorated with beautiful script such as the example below. The coins with zodiacal signs, portraits, literary verses and the excellent calligraphy took Mughal coinage to new heights.

At Aurangzeb period (1658 to 1707) the format was standardized to incorporate the name of the ruler, the mint and the date of issue.

Collectors Focus Today: Iran - Belarus Joint Stamp Issue 2011, Mir Castle, Kharimkhan Citadel

On September 28, 2001 The Belarus Post and Iranian Post jointly issued a postage stamp.This joint stamp miniature issue sheet features the famous Mir castle of Belarus and Karimkhani Citadel of Shiraz.

The Mirsky Castle Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Belarus located in the town of Mir in the Karelichy District of the Hrodna voblast. 

The Arg of Karim Khan is a citadel located in the north-east of Shiraz, southern Iran. It was built as part of a complex during the Zand dynasty and is named after Karim Khan, and served as his living quarters.

Today's Collectors Focus: Indian-Iranian 2004 Joint Issue Kabir and Hafiz Poets Stamps  

A joint issue is the release of stamps or postal stationery by two or more countries to commemorate the same topic, event or person of relevance to both countries. Joint issues typically have the same first day of issue and their design is often similar or identical, except for the identification of country and value.

This joint issue release features two of the most influenced poets in India and  Iran.

 Kabir (1440–1518) was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' - the 37th name of God in Islam. Today, there are several allusions to Kabir's poetry in mainstream Indian film music.

 Hafiz (1326-1390) was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry (Divan) that are to be found in the homes of many Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-Fourteenth Century Persian writing more than any other author.

Today's Collector's Focus: 100th Anniversary Of The First South African airmail Flight Odd Shape Stamps  

The SAPO (South African Post Office) issued on 7/10/11 a stamp set miniature sheet with an odd shape as an aircraft, commemorating the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first South African airmail flight.

This set depicts the aircraft in flight in 1911, the first South African airmail flight between Kenilworth and Muizenberg which is the first post office in South Africa that has received an airmail.

The history of the South African Post Office can be traced back over 500 years. In 1500, the captain of a Portuguese ship, Petro D'Ataide, placed a letter in a milkwood tree at Moseel Bay.  

On 2 March 1792 the acting governor of the Cape, John Isaac, opened a post office in a room next to the pantry at the Castle in Cape Town. This was the start of what became the South Africa Post Office (SAPO). By 1805 there was a regular inland mail service between Algoa, Algoa Bay and False Bay in the Cape, using farmers on horseback. A mail wagon ran twice a week between Cape Town and the town of Stellenbosch.    

Mail was transported by motor car for the first time in 1911, and SAPO experimented using camels to deliver mail, replacing them with an ox cart service in 1914. In December 1911, the first air mail delivery took place with a 7.5 min flight from Kenilworth in Cape Town to Muizenberg. The mail was carried in the same model of aircraft as that used two years earlier by Louis Bleriot to cross the England/France channel.

By 1919, there was a regular motor car service, and a regular air-mail service was introduced the same year. The first overseas air-mail service was introduced in 1932, and the Springbok Air Service was introduced between the Union of South Africa and Britain in 1945. The first definitive stamp series of the Republic of South Africa was issued on 31 May 1961 after South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth because of its apartheid policies at the time.

In 1973, postcodes were introduced to facilitate automated mail sorting and standardized letters were introduced later that year. In 1994, South Africa was readmitted to the Univesral Postal Union  following the end of apartheid. SAPO currently operates under a 25 year license granted by the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and in terms of this must provide a universal service to all the citizens of the country.

Today’s Collectors Focus: Indo-Greek Menander 160-145 BC.AR Coin 

Menander I Soter "The Saviour" (known as Milinda in Indian sources) was one of the rulers of the Indo-Greek Kingdom from either 165 or 155 BC to 130 BC. His territories covered the eastern dominions of the divided Greek empire of Bactria and extended to India.

Menander has left behind an immense corpus of silver and bronze coins, more so than any other Indo-Greek king. During his reign, the fusion between Indian and Greek coin standards reached its apogee.  

One example, as featured on Coollector.com Showcase @ http://www.coollectors.com/item/1674 is the coin in the picture, featuring Indo-Greek Menander 160-145 BC.AR Drachm weight 2.30; grams size 19.23 mm; Obverse: Helmeted bust of king

right; Reverse Pallas standing left,holding shield on raised right arm and hurling thunderbolt.

Today's Collectors Focus: Afghanistan Postage Stamps

The first postal arrangements in Afghanistan are credited to Sher Ali Khan, who established a postal service in the 1860s as part of a program to modernize the country.

The first stamps appeared in 1871. They were round in shape, and printed in black, with a tiger's head surrounded by Arabic script specifying one of three denominations. 

The defeat of Sher Ali by the British brought Abdur Rahman Khan to the throne in 1880, and the following year brought new stamps, still round, but with inscriptions in the middle instead of the tiger head. 

The first issue after independence came out on 24 August 1920, a design featuring the royal star of King Amanullah. 

Afghanistan joined the Universal Postal Union in 1928; previously international mail required stamps of British India. In 1927, the first Roman letters had appeared on an Afgan stamp, the inscription reading "AFGHAN POSTAGE". This changed to the French "POSTES AFGHANES" in 1928, and remained in that form until 1989.

A large number of Afghan stamps appeared in the 1950s. Since the Afghan Postal Authority issued some stamps well below the minimal amount of postage, this was considered to be scheme for making money from stamp collectors.

The first issue of a postage stamp after the civil war was the May 2002 stamp showing Ahmad Shah Masoud, a military general and national hero who defended Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the 1980s and later led a resistance movement against the Taliban.

Afghanistan Stamps

Collectors Focus Today: 2011 Belarus Fish Stamps

Belarus 2011 Fish Stamps

The Republic of Belarus, is a county in Eastern Europe bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; It's population is 9,503,807 million people and its strongest economic sectors are agriculture and manufacturing.

Belarus’ unique natural environment is host to a fascinating selection of rare plant and animal species, several national parks and a range of significant conservation projects.

Natural vegetation covers 93.1% of the land, and 1/3 of all green landscape is forest.

Fishing is very popular in Belarus and there are many organized fishing tours to the country.

Fish are so popular they even get a place of respect on stamps -:)